Quote:
Originally Posted by shotinthebacklund
I would like to see a poll for the people unhappy with the current CalgaryNEXT proposal exactly where your dislike lies.
design?
funding proposal?
Location?
All of the above?
as for the design of the stadium, as a few posts have suggested. We did not see the actual design of the complex. I would argue some of the animosity of this current project hinges on the little information released. There is way way more complete than unveiled, Hang tight (as hard as that can be )
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Not a fan of the design: Without having any plans its tough to judge a design but I do not like the idea of having a combined hockey and football field.
I do not like the funding model: We can call the TIF what we want, but it is city money. It has been discussed at length here so I don't need to re-hash it. While the 200 million for the "field house" is, again, un-funded. A field house in such a prime location is most likely not intended when originally discussed.
Location: I can see why they like the location, but there are so many issues with it, and as bunk noted, there are viable alternatives. The structure is too big to stick in the middle of a dense development, there are issues with soil contamination, the highway isolates the areas (the proposal does not offer changes to the existing highway structure), I think the location will create a dead zone in the middle of a potential development and could impact the viability of amenities along the river.
There are solutions to these issues: removing the field house, changing the road network, and putting the arena on the western edge of the WV development. But I still think that the Stampede lands are the best spot for the arena and the land is prime for that type of development and could help the Stampede Board's vision of creating its own district around there.
If I am the City, I would see the Stampede as the lesser of all evils and would push hard for that location. You want to build in West Village, pay up! buy the land, build the arena. I won't stop you from doing it, but I certainly wouldn't provide capital to the project in a location that is not ideal.